Issue five was kind of a personal challenge for me: can Deathstroke battle Batman without throwing a punch? With his enhanced reflexes and strength, Deathstroke is more than a physical match for Batman, but, as I see him, Batman’s true strength is in his intellect and strategic planning. Batman would never waste his time chasing around Gotham after Deathstroke. He also knows that, having lost a son himself, DS is extremely unlikely to kill Damian unless Damian was trying to kill him, so DS’ entire threat is utter nonsense. So the battle is one of wills rather than fists, which may disappoint some who were hoping for a slugfest. We might get that eventually, but for now our first story arc is about defining Deathstroke as being as much an intellectual and strategic threat as Batman or anyone else. Expect the unexpected.